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HERULI

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Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 404 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HERULI , a See also:

Teutonic tribe which figures prominently in the See also:history of the See also:migration See also:period. The name does not occur in writings of the first two centuries A.D. Where the See also:original See also:home of the Heruli was situated is never clearly stated. Jordanes says that they had been expelled from their territories by the Danes, from which it may be inferred that they belonged either to what is now the See also:kingdom of See also:Denmark, or the See also:southern portion of the Jutish See also:peninsula. They are mentioned first in the reign of See also:Gallienus (260—268), when we find them together with the Goths ravaging the coasts of the See also:Black See also:Sea and the See also:Aegean. Shortly afterwards, in A.D. 289, they appear in the region about the mouth of the See also:Rhine. During the 4th See also:century they frequently served together with the Batavi in the See also:Roman armies. In the 5th century we again hear of piratical incursions by the Heruli in the western seas. At the same See also:time they had a kingdom in central See also:Europe, apparently in or See also:round the See also:basin of the See also:Elbe. Together with the Thuringi and Warni they were called upon byTheodoric the Ostrogoth about the beginning of the 6th century to See also:form an See also:alliance with him against the Frankish See also:king See also:Clovis, but very shortly afterwards they were completely overthrown in See also:war by the Langobardi. A portion of them migrated to See also:Sweden, where they settled among the Gdtar, while others crossed the See also:Danube and entered the Roman service, where they are frequently mentioned later in connexion with the See also:Gothic See also:wars.

After the See also:

middle of the 6th century, however, their name completely disappears. It is curious that in See also:English, Frankish and Scandinavian See also:works they are never mentioned, and there can be little doubt that they were known, especially among the western Teutonic peoples, by some other name. Probably they are identical either with the See also:North Suabi or with the Iuti. The name Heruli itself is identified by many with the A.S. eorlas (nobles), O.S. erlos (men), the singular of which (erilaz) frequently occurs in the earliest See also:Northern See also:inscriptions, apparently as a See also:title of See also:honour. The Heruli remained See also:heathen until the overthrow of their kingdom, and retained many striking See also:primitive customs. When threatened with See also:death by disease or old See also:age, they were required to See also:call in an executioner, who stabbed them on the pyre. See also:Suttee was also customary. They were entirely devoted to war-fare and served not only in the Roman armies, but also in those of all the surrounding nations. They disdained the use of helmets and coats of See also:mail, and protected themselves only with See also:shields. See Georgius See also:Syncellus; See also:Mamertinus Paneg. Maximi; Ammiahus See also:Marcellinus; See also:Zosimus i. 39; Idatius, Chronica; Jordanes, De origine Getarum; See also:Procopius, esp.

Bellum Goticum, ii. 14 f.; Bellum Persicum, ii. 25; See also:

Paulus Diaconus, Hist. Langobardorum, is 20; K. Zeuss, See also:Die Deutschen and die Nachbarslamme, pp. 476f. (See also:Munich, (F. M. B.) 404.

End of Article: HERULI

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